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The Guardian - UK

John Harding and Peter Symes

Letters: Michael Blakstad obituary

John Harding Lenny Henry Rory Bremner

Michael Blakstad was a television producer and director. — Michael Blakstad was a television producer and director. Photograph: Rory Cellan-Jones

I met Michael Blakstad in the late 1980s, when we and Jennifer Bland were co-trustees of the Theatre Royal Winchester. With the manager, Rebecca Barker-Wyatt, he used his television contacts to get stars such as Rory Bremner and Lenny Henry to do dry runs of future series.

It is thoroughly characteristic that he turned to technology to stimulate reminiscences through the Media versus Dementia project in honour of his wife, Tricia.
John Harding

In the early 1990s Michael Blakstad backed me in the creation of the Sheffield International Documentary festival. It is being staged again in June.
Peter Symes

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